Mission Statement
"A democratic multi-stakeholder co-operative. Providing source verified and value added agricultural products for the benefit of our members."
Formation- Ogallah L.C. is proud to sponsor the advent of Assurance Co-operative. A multi-stakeholder Co-operative is a fairly new concept, in fact this will be a specific incorporation combining the advantages of an L.L.C. with the guidelines and articles of a co-operative venture. It's management will be democratically determined by it's founders and members. Ogallah L.C. is ONLY the sponsor, will have no per-determined management rights or obligations. We are looking for co-sponsors and members.
Why do it- As a consumer and producer we should concerned, with two issues.
While we believe that the current U.S. food service is safe, and actually based on size exceptional. There are some sizable cracks appearing in this massive program. We can witness the "after the fact", response in tracing of biologic hazards, the limited inspections on imported foods, ambiguity of language, and grades. It's antiquated, designed for a an early 1900's country with a population of a million consumers, most of which lived on a farm! These issues are currently brought forward by source or contamination problems like Chipotle' and beef imports halted last month from Brazil. We can do better.
The elephant in the room is always consumer price and conversely sales price for the producer. However we see these issues as the same problem. The market food economy is driven by the 1900- 1930's, policy fostered by the U.S. government. It is designed to make food cheaper and abundant! Remember, more consumers vote than producers! In the pursuit of end cost reduction we have seen massive reductions in competition for a variety of food suppliers. With an industry platform, to shrink consumer cost and likewise goal to equate a permanent supply monopoly in this the winner take all scenario. While this worked marvelously to thin the crowd of business competitors, even so, the profit edge constantly shrinking. Thus requiring overhead costs for the survivors to come down. As a result we have lower quality products, pork and chicken factory farms, increased corporate mergers, some of which place your food supply being held by questionable foreign parties. Ad-venting the physiology, "of what the consumer will stand for", rather than what is the best possible product.
One solution can be controlling the third party cost, and the process. As an example it costs Tyson $50.00 a head to process a steer. For a farmer and consumer to custom process a steer locally, it will costs nearly $500.00. These costs and expenses do no go to the farmer, who raised the steer....nor do they go proportionally into discounts to the consumer. Instead they go to corporate profits. A myriad of advertising, transportation, and 24 hour super markets, plus a generous return to upper management and shareholders Profit is one cost in the overhead equation which not sacrificed! All other costs and expenses are at least explore-able, and possibly exploitable. Efficiency is the buzz word, wages, streamlining the process, lobbying the government to ease regulations to their advantage, reducing quality, we now see "select" quality beef rather than choice quality the norm in the 1970's, or imported vegetables treated with questionable fertilizer, and pesticides, and preservatives to keep it looking "fresh".
Imagine now, that we can achieve a seamless connection between the consumer and the supplier. We can give rebates and special pricing to the consumer-member at purchase, and value added purchase price to the producer-member. Excesses will be remitted democratically as dividends annually, portioned by dollar volume of business. More important, we have together provided source verified meat, and vegetables, raised and processed with integrity and care, by you, and your co-op partners. To attain piece of mind at the dining table. Because you made yourself a partner in production.
In the early stages we would like to include you in our e-mail conversation and notification list, with your inquiry.
